Specifically About Road Tripping Australia: 5 Don'ts

South Australian Sunset 

Protea - Aussie Native

Australia is huge. Most international guests really don’t understand the size of Australia. You know Sydney and Melbourne and maybe Perth. You’ve probably heard of Adelaide from that one song. And you’ve seen a picture of Uluru.  Bucket list item: road trip through Australia! Great decision! Australia is huge. Road tripping in Australia is a must, and something you will remember for your whole life.  In general, though, people don’t understand the outback, or the vast expanses between civilization.  Outback Australia is unforgettable. It’s beautiful. It’s quiet. It’s raw.  It’s magical.  It’s a living thing in and of itself.  You will see colours you’ve literally never seen before.  You will feel heat like no other heat. You will probably eat a fly or two without meaning to in the course of things.  But you need to arrive with a plan. You need to come prepared. Here are five tips I’ve come up with to help you get started with planning your trip.

Kangaroo at dusk

1)      Don’t drive at night. While this may seem ridiculous, and you may think you are losing time on your overall trip, this is really important.  There is a lot of nocturnal wildlife on the road, which makes it heaps dangerous.  Kangaroos, emus, wombats, koalas, and in WA camels are just some of the larger animals that often cross the road at night.  Smaller animals include; rabbits, foxes, cane toads, and mice.  If you did hit a larger animal, chances are it will be injured but not die straight away, and your car will be totaled, leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night.  Not a great place to be if you’ve seen Wolf Creek or… well pretty much any Aussie film.  It can also get really cold at night, even if it’s hot during the day.

Roadside stall with locally grown fruit and veg... but no fuel

2)      Don’t forget to check the water, oil, and petrol (gas) situations before you leave, as well as during your trip.  Again, this might sound obvious, but this can be devastating if you did run out.  Did I mention that Australia is a huge place?  You can drive for sometimes hundreds of kilometres between towns, and even then, there might not be a petrol station to fill up at.  All I can say about this is, do your research, and plan your petrol stops in advance. Don’t count on the next town having amenities.  Some towns don’t even have a shop (store).

Typical country road in rural Victoria

3)      Don’t hitchhike. Please. Besides being illegal: Ivan Milat. Google that! And anyway, you probably don’t want to get dropped off in the middle of nowhere with no cars coming by for hours or even days. Plus, Ivan Milat and backpacker murders. Have you googled that yet?

Red earth Blue sky

4)      Don’t drive on the right.  In Australia, we drive on the left hand side of the road. Bear this in mind when driving around roundabouts, on one way freeways, and also when crossing the road on foot.

Inclement weather - near Melbourne

5)      Don’t forget to pack snacks but more so, plenty of water. You don’t have to buy bottled water in most places of Australia because the tap water is generally safe to drink, unless indicated otherwise.  I recommend keeping a few litres on hand in your car.  You never know when you or your car might be thirsty.  Maybe this is just the country kid in me, but I just think you can’t risk being stuck somewhere without water.  Particularly on a road trip.  Alternatively, you might come across someone who’s run out of water and be able to help them out. But this is not about them, so, safety first!

Black Saturday Bush Fires 2009

It’s also worth checking the weather forecast before you leave.  Australia is known for its harsh weather conditions.  One day it could be nice and sunny, but the next week could be forecast for an extreme heat wave.  Likewise, flash floods are common in some areas, and bush fires are rife in summer. It’s worth knowing what you are up against and keeping up with emergency warnings could save your life, or at the very least, save you missing your flight home.

Crossing the Vic boarder into SA.

I hope you enjoy your road trip in Australia! You'll love it! If you have any other tips or ideas that have worked for you, please leave a comment. Thanks for reading!

Bonus info: road signs can be hilarious, and if you stop for a wee in the bushes, watch out for snakes and insects! 

I grew up with this sign!

Specifically About Over-thinking It

Let’s set the scene… 

You and your family are invited to a new friend’s home for dinner. You arrive on time, you are on your best behavior, (and really hoping your husband doesn’t say anything embarrassing). You don’t know the family all that well, but both husbands work together.  You know you have a few things in common, but you are still unsure how well you will eventually get along. 

You knock on the door, and the wife comes to open it. She is done up all pretty, and bubbly, and welcomes you into her warm home. “Hi, how are you?” “Did you find the place ok?”, you know how it goes – all the pleasantries.

Then comes the awkward part… “Would you like something to drink?”, she asks. “Yes, please, that would be great!” You answer, like you’ve not just had a drink before you got in the car!

“What would you like?”, she asks sincerely.

Ummm…. Such an unexpectedly loaded question!

What would you like to drink? 

Now here is what I mean by awks… She hasn’t offered any options. Does she mean tea or coffee, or wine, or soft drink, or something completely different?

You are not about to say, “A shot of Tequila please, my kids have been driving me mental all day!”  But you are not really gunning for a cup of weak herbal tea either.

Do you ask for a glass of wine, knowing you brought over a bottle to share? Or does she think you bought it as a gift?

You realize you've shot yourself in the foot because you can't change your mind now - you've already said you wanted something! Backing out would seem crazy weird!

Meanwhile, as these thoughts are rushing through your head, you are suddenly conscious that you haven’t said anything at all yet and everyone is starring at you in a deafening silence, as if to say, “it’s only a drink – say something!”

Startled you blurt out, “Oh, water for me thanks!”, “Really, are you sure?”

Gahhh… so you get your boring water, and have to shut up about it!

All the awkwardness of this moment can be avoided.

After all, you have been invited over for dinner. Now, I’m not saying the hostess needs to list any and all of the beverages in her house for you to choose from, but a simple guide would be great!

A simple phrase such as, “Red or White?” would be a great indication. Another great hint could be, “Would you like a cold drink? I have…” after which the guest can develop a picture of something sensible to ask for.

“I’ll join you with a glass of red, please.”


There, done. How hard was that?! 

...and the evening goes on!